• About “Our Friends Photo Blog”
  • About Steve
  • Contact
  • Making Purchases Supports My Blog Thank You For Participating.

Our Friends Photo Blog

~ online photojournalism project celebrating people, places and events.

Category Archives: Photo Essays

Carnies: Life Was Harder on the Outside

14 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by steve bohnstedt in Carnies, Photo Essays

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Carnies

dpit-over-all-img219dpi
Carnival workers travel a rough road, but they like the freedom of the highway. The still of night is torn by the clang of steel as the midway rides are erected. Although they laugh as they work, most are cold tired and hungry. Some do not have adequate clothing to ward off an unexpected autumn chill; many have not slept or eaten a decent meal in over 18 hours. When the rides come down, they will be on the road again, heading for another town, another sea of faces, and another day in the life of a “carnie.”
This is another photo essay I photographed on my own time while working in South Carolina. Assigned an allotted 30 minutes to “grab a feature photo” of the county fair for the newspaper, I talked to a couple of carnies about dropping by to hang out and take pictures later that evening after I finished my shift. I continued to “drop by” every evening until the carnival packed up and left town. I then followed them to their next stop, some 50 miles away and spent the weekend there to finish up the story. It was an adventure.
dpi-carnie_hirezcover
Timmy James rests for a minute while loading heavy steel frames onto a truck. After working the carnival all day, he and everyone else must tear down the rides through the night and into the morning as they prepare to head to the next town. This photo was taken at about 2 in the morning. The work is extremely difficult and dangerous.
dpi-7-inch08carniesimg020
In labor, friends comfort a carnival worker, as she is about to be loaded into an ambulance for a trip to the local hospital. The people in the background are carnival workers waiting in line for breakfast before the show starts later in the afternoon.
dpi_usecarnie_img357
“It’s easier here, says 28-year-old Lisa with her boyfriend Curtis. She describes the carnies as her family. She likes the lifestyle better than the “outside world,” because people don’t discriminate. “People are very accepting here,” Lisa says.
dpi-use_08carniesimg013
Curtis makes his way from the modular trailer he and Lisa rent from the carnival owners, to the cantina for breakfast. The rent for the small one room trailer is high compared to his hourly minimum wage. He and Lisa forgo electricity, and heat and water because they can’t afford it. Often times they must choose between getting a motel to take a shower once a week or saving their money for food. Most of the carnies use the bathrooms at local businesses to wash themselves at the sink.
dpi_use_carnie_img348
“I wanna warn you youngins.” Said merry-go-round foreman and carnival preacher Papa Doo,” marriage is a terrible thing; cause there’s plenty of women and guys. It makes it easy to cheat. But I’m gonna be watching y’all, so you can’t be acting like carnies no more.” Carnies Jerry and Trish, both 18, who had been dating for about two months, ride the merry-go-round during a traditional carnie wedding. “This merry-go-round is gonna go around three times. If you change your mind about this, you can get off. But once it goes around for the third time, it’s too late. You’re married.” The wedding, though not legal in the outside world, is a special moment for the carnies. The couple slips on their brass wedding rings, kiss and go back to work.
dpi_use_carnie-babyimg353
Lisa visits with her boyfriend, Curtis’ ex-girlfriend as she changes the diaper on the child the two had together. A bit of a ladies man, you might say Curtis gets around. Still, Lisa and the ex-girlfriend get along well and help one another.
dpi_use_carnie_mattieimg349
Mattie set’s up the ride that ended the life of the former ride foreman. As Mattie described the accident, two metal cars, weighing several hundred pounds each, dropped loose and struck him on the head killing him instantly. Though being a ride foreman, or “first man” is worth a little more money, Mattie wasn’t happy about achieving his new status over the death of a friend.
dpi_use_08carniesimg018
Upon arriving at yet another town, a crew unloads sections of a carnival ride. As Timmy James said, “Setting up the rides and tearing them down again is a bitch.”
carnie-dpi_useimg027
As the nightly temperature drops to 16 degrees a group of carnival workers huddle in an unheated cargo trailer drinking cheap wine and beer while smoking marijuana to lessen the bite of the cold. When the weather gets nasty, some of the female carnies that don’t “have a man” exchange sexual favors for the opportunity to sleep with truck drivers in their heated cabs. They are labeled “lot lizards,” by the others.
carnie-dpi-_useimg028
Taking his dog along for the ride, Lewis drives a friend to a nearby truck stop where the two will get a hot meal. Lewis is one of a few carnival workers who have a car, so he is in high demand when someone needs a ride. Without a steady work position with the carnival he follows the show from town to town getting work when he can. He sees himself as a survivor, resigned to the realities of his hard life. “When things get really bad, you make fun of it. You can’t let things get you down because you know things could be worse,” he said.

OUTTAKES

dpi-use_carnie_portrait_img354
dpi_use_carnie_cash_352
dpi_use_carnie_img355
dpi_use_canie_kids358

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Categories

  • 4×5 iPhone (1)
  • 4×6 B&W Comic Images (1)
  • All Animals (9)
    • birds (2)
    • cats (1)
    • dogs (3)
    • Dogs Hand Colored (1)
    • More Pets and Critters (1)
  • At Work (2)
  • B&W Gallery (6)
    • Holloween 2018 (1)
  • Bars (2)
    • The Cab (2)
  • Churches (1)
    • Salem Church, Quincy (1)
  • Contact Sheets (1)
  • Dolls (1)
  • Family (190)
    • Badlands S.D. Adventure 2012 (2)
    • Big Trip to California & Back (5)
    • Cameron (34)
    • Cameron & I (6)
    • Events (17)
      • Adams County Fair Series 1 (1)
      • Blues In The District (1)
      • Dog & Gun Show (1)
      • Farmer's Market Quincy (1)
      • Feast on Fifth (1)
      • Horizon's Raiser 2019 (1)
    • Gurdine & Caitlin Wedding (5)
    • Ickis (10)
    • Luke (27)
    • Me Photos (34)
  • Festivals (11)
    • Steam Punk 2018 (3)
    • Tom Sawyer Days 2018 (1)
  • Hand Painted Portrait Series (2)
    • Hannibal Mo. (2)
  • Hand-Painted Pictures (13)
    • 12×12 Exhibition Prints (1)
    • 4×6 Comic Bubble Art (1)
    • 4×6 Framed Cars (1)
    • 4×6 Hand-Painted Pictures (1)
    • 4×6 Hand-Painted Steam Punk (1)
    • 4×6 High Times Art (1)
    • 5×5 Art on Canvas (1)
    • Hand Painted Pictures Vol. 1 (3)
    • Heart People (1)
  • High Times Comic Art (1)
  • Images of Poverty (1)
    • 19×13 Exhibit Prints (1)
  • Looking Through My Windows (3)
  • My Stiff Friends (26)
  • Nature (2)
  • Newspaper Clips (7)
    • Photo Essays (6)
      • A Higher Power (1)
      • Flood of Emotions (1)
      • Marine Corps Marathon (1)
      • Petis County Jail (1)
      • The Long Goodbye (1)
      • War of Will (1)
    • Single Page Features (1)
  • Original Art (28)
    • 11×17 Art On Wood (1)
    • 11×17 Framed Art (1)
    • 12×12 Canvas Art (1)
    • 12×24 Art On Wood (1)
    • 4×6 Art On Canvas (1)
    • 4×6 Art on Metal (1)
    • 5×5 Canvas Painted Faces (1)
    • 6×12 Mixed Media (1)
    • 8.5×11 Art On Glass Framed (1)
    • Album Cover Art (1)
    • Art Laying Around (1)
    • Beer Can Art (1)
    • Cardbaord Mixed Media (1)
    • Cardboard Art (1)
    • Digital Art (1)
    • Funk Art (1)
    • Layers Art (1)
    • Me Too Art (1)
    • Misc. Art On Wood (1)
    • Misc. Small Art (1)
    • Mixed Media On Glass (1)
    • Pen & Ink Art (2)
    • Pride Art (1)
    • Small Art (1)
    • Small Art On Wood (1)
    • The Kitchen Sink (1)
    • Woodblock Women (1)
  • Our House (16)
  • People I've Met & Photographed (40)
  • Pets I've Photographed (19)
  • Photo Essays (9)
    • A Soldier Comes Home (1)
    • Adams County Jail (1)
    • Carnies (1)
    • God's Gift (1)
    • Marine Scout Snipers (1)
    • Picking Up The Pieces (1)
    • Riles Family Eviction (1)
    • Shave And Scripture (1)
    • Texas Goat Wranglers (1)
  • Photo Strips Series 1 (1)
  • Places Nearby (62)
    • Hannibal Missouri (4)
    • Kansas City (1)
    • Mt. Sterling Illinois (1)
    • Perry, Mo. (1)
    • Pittsfield, Illinois (1)
    • Quincy Illinois (34)
    • St. Louis Missouri (4)
    • Warsaw Illinois (1)
  • Polaroids (4)
    • Polaroids Hand Painted (1)
    • Time Zero Polaroids (2)
    • Time Zero Polaroids 2 (1)
  • Pop-Up Sessions (2)
    • For Home & Her (1)
    • Potter & Vaughn (1)
  • Portraits (49)
    • B&W Square Format One (9)
    • Children Portraits (1)
      • Hand Painted Cameron (1)
    • Crissy Tats (1)
    • Esther M. (1)
    • Jake S. (1)
    • Jake S. & Family (1)
    • Julie Session (1)
    • Laura S. Mothers Day Pictures (1)
    • Mika Love (1)
    • Portraits On Glass (1)
    • Scott & Jamie Engagement (1)
    • Stacy G. (2)
    • Steve S. (1)
    • Teen Reach Quincy (2)
    • Tony M. & Family (1)
    • Various Single B&W Portraits (1)
    • Zach Andrea Mermaid 2020 (1)
    • Zach M. (2)
  • Quanada (1)
  • Quanada Archery Raiser (1)
  • Quincy Landmarks (1)
  • Quincy Lifestyle (1)
    • South Park Sledding 2021 (1)
  • Quincy Lifestyle Series 1 (2)
    • Quincy Series 2 (1)
  • Uncategorized (29)
  • Weddings (3)
    • Josh & Nicole B. (1)
    • Scott & Jamie B. Rehearsal (1)
    • Scott & Jamie B. Wedding (1)
  • Winter 1-3-21 (1)
  • Winter Scenes (1)

Blogroll

  • stevebimages.com

Archives

Copyright

All images / photographs / content / on this is site is the copyrighted property of Steve Bohnstedt. Please do not copy, or reproduce these images in any way without my written permission. Purchase of images does not transfer reproduction rights. For information about purchasing or licensing images simply leave a message in the comment area of any post, or email me at: brooms25@yahoo.com Thank you for dropping by.

Blogs I Follow

  • Site Title
  • Frank Solanki
  • yaskhan
  • tonysbologna : Honest. Satirical. Observations
  • nalinidesignprofile
  • Sableyes Fox Box
  • Rattiesforeverworldpresscom
  • of great matter
  • Adventures of a Book Addict
  • Natalie Breuer
  • Katzenworld
  • JASONTOJASON
  • Cooking with a Wallflower
  • Edge of Humanity Magazine
  • what I think / what I say
  • Motivating Giraffe
  • Lazonby Grange
  • Slipperyedge
  • ANIKET SHARMA PHOTOGRAPHY
  • Christopher Bowie

Blogroll

  • stevebimages.com

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 814 other followers

Blog at WordPress.com.

Site Title

Frank Solanki

If you want to be a hero well just follow me

yaskhan

Poetry

tonysbologna : Honest. Satirical. Observations

Honest. Satirical. Observations.

nalinidesignprofile

Graphic Designer

Sableyes Fox Box

Rattiesforeverworldpresscom

of great matter

Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is great matter.--Leo Tolstoy

Adventures of a Book Addict

Life with Literature, Lattes, and a Little Pug

Natalie Breuer

Natalie. Writer. Photographer. Etc.

Katzenworld

Welcome to the world of cats!

JASONTOJASON

I'm a 26 year old idiot.

Cooking with a Wallflower

Edge of Humanity Magazine

what I think / what I say

Motivating Giraffe

Lazonby Grange

Fiction and Non-Fiction

Slipperyedge

ANIKET SHARMA PHOTOGRAPHY

Christopher Bowie

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: